I can say we took 4 trips last late summer and early fall to the Adirondack mountains, about a 200-250mile trip one way , to camp in my girl friends 2015 Golf SEL 1.8tsi with 18" VW Preston wheels

I was pretty bummed about giving up the JSW and was seeing some really good deals on the Golf (where as the GSW was selling at less of a discount, with fewer trims left), but I was concerned about the lack of cargo capacity. So I used her Golf to do extended test drives if you will.

Our load was two of us (165 pounds for me, 120 pounds for her), small dog and a good deal of camping gear (seats folded flat, gear filled to half way of the window line).

Overall we averaged 37.7 for the entire trip driving, to and from the mountains and all driving in the mountains (about 650 miles total) on the one that I specifically recorded the data, hand calculated. The others were roughly about the same

I can say we took 4 trips last late summer and early fall to the Adirondack mountains, about a 200-250mile trip one way , to camp in my girl friends 2015 Golf SEL 1.8tsi with 18" VW Preston wheels

I was pretty bummed about giving up the JSW and was seeing some really good deals on the Golf (where as the GSW was selling at less of a discount, with fewer trims left), but I was concerned about the lack of cargo capacity. So I used her Golf to do extended test drives if you will.

Our load was two of us (165 pounds for me, 120 pounds for her), small dog and a good deal of camping gear (seats folded flat, gear filled to half way of the window line).

Overall we averaged 37.7 for the entire trip driving, to and from the mountains and all driving in the mountains (about 650 miles total) on the one that I specifically recorded the data, hand calculated. The others were roughly about the same

The car wasn't even broken in, that drive was done when it was 3 days old.

More realistically, that number is really 5.6 factoring in the MFD error. Still a respectable 42 mpg.

In normal driving I average about 6.0 in summer, 6.4-7.0 in winter.

I think there's more to it than just the transmission and gear ratios. For starters, the old 1.8T wasn't direct injection, whereas the new one is.

Regardless of how it's achieved, I'd have to say that the fuel efficiency has made the higher purchase cost, higher potential maintenance/fail costs and lower average fuel costs, a wash compared to a TDI. Add to that more smoothness, quieter and quicker than my previous Mk VI, and even more so that my wife's Mk V Golf TDI wagon.

Her wagon is on borrowed time now, her new buyback replacement TSI wagon is due at the end of the month.

The "old" 1.8t engine was not direct injected, no, but it did have an extra intake valve as well as a cam drive that seems to hold up better and a MUCH simpler and more durable water pump. Unless they have REALLY improved some things, I do not have a warm fuzzy feeling about the long term durability of this "new" engine that is largely based on the 2.0L DI turbo engine that we've had since 2008... and that thing is a turd. Runs great, but the problems those engines have are numerous, common, and expensive.

I know they did improve the timing chain tensioner around 2011, and I assume they made some improvements to the intake manifold position sensor that failed so often they ended up giving them a 120k mile warranty extension. And I know they improved the camshaft and HPFP follower that were commonly found to go bad. They also went to a cartridge style oil filter, changed the ignition coils (although they may not "fail", they melt themselves into the valve cover so when they do need to come out they come out in pieces anyway).

The crankcase pressure regulator, a constant problem before, has been changed, and this was responsible for countless blown out rear main seals.

Remains to be seen if the rando-crack water pump housings have been fixed, or the prematurely worn out turbo wastegate linkage has been improved. Not a fan of the plastic oil pan and what feels like a really cheap drain plug arrangement, but that at least allowed them another half liter of oil capacity.

Fuel Economy: ALH wagon getting over 40 in the city, 17mpg in the 4x4, Not enough miles yet on the 2015 GSW

22-25 mpg I6 versus 40+ mpg 1.9L TDI

In the 70's I had a Nova 2 door with an inline 6 cylinder (230CI). I think it was a '67 model, with a 3 on the tree that I replaced with a Hurst floor shifter, mostly for the convenience of a floor shifter and smooth action.

This car ran and ran, always getting over 20mpg without trying. The simplicity of the engine helped it's longevity. It was terrible in the snow, but otherwise very dependable.

Compared to today's high tech engines, it was primitive, but that is probably why it was so dependable! It made about 140hp.

Compared to an ALH engine, it used twice as much fuel, and didn't produce any more power. And as dependable as it was, the durability of the ALH is hard to beat. I have the TSI engine in my 2017 Passat. It pulls nicely when you need it, but at a cost, getting about 30 mpg. That's fully 25% less miles on the same amount of fuel than a TDI-and diesel always hover 5 to10% more expensive around here. So my wrecked JSW had an average of less than 10 cents a mile (fuelly average at 40k miles).

The 1.4L TDI sold in Europe for years is a respectable powerplant that gets even better FE than the 1.9/2.0L TDIs. You might not want it in a larger car, but it is adequate for small sedans and hatchbacks. Sad that the only 1.4L engine we can buy from VW is a gasser.

Hey, I have a 1987 Corolla
No power windows, no central locking, no power steering, no air con...
Feels like it's getting more than 25mpg, maybe about 32-33?? Haven't done the math though.

Your Corolla is/was not the same as ours, and technically the "Nova" of that vintage was a Toyota Sprinter, not a Corolla. But they are mechanically the same as the standard Corolla sedan we got at the time, same 4A-F engine, etc.